Lobster is a major coastal fishery in the United States, with Maine and Massachusetts producing most of the national American lobster harvest. In 2024, U.S. commercial landings reached 113 million pounds with a value of $720 million, while Maine recorded 86,125,724 live pounds valued at $528,421,645. These figures describe commercial landings and ex-vessel value, not restaurant sales or consumer prices. NOAA Fisheries and the Maine Department of Marine Resources provide the underlying national and state records.
Contents
- U.S. lobster harvest and market scale
- Maine landings and value by year
- Maine lobster landings in 2023
- Maine lobster landings in 2024
- Preliminary Maine landings in 2025
- Stock abundance and exploitation indicators
U.S. lobster harvest and market scale
The U.S. commercial American lobster fishery landed 113 million pounds in 2024. Those landings were valued at $720 million. Maine and Massachusetts together accounted for 93% of total U.S. American lobster harvest in the same year. NOAA also reports that the Gulf of Maine stock supplied 93% of coast-wide American lobster landings in 2024. NOAA Fisheries
These percentages describe different parts of the fishery. The 93% for Maine and Massachusetts is a state-level production share, while the 93% for the Gulf of Maine is a stock-area share of coast-wide landings. Neither percentage is a measure of the share sold through restaurants.
NOAA’s current profile describes the U.S. American lobster fishery as two assessed stock groupings: Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank, and Southern New England. Maine has led U.S. American lobster landings for more than 30 years through 2024. The long-running leadership of Maine helps explain why state landing records are a useful lens for understanding the scale and timing of the fishery. NOAA Fisheries
The American lobster fishery also has a large value footprint over time. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission reported that American lobster has had average annual U.S. landings value above $650 million, according to its 2025 annual report. This is an average-value statement associated with the report and should not be read as a 2025-only result or as a forecast. ASMFC Annual Report 2025
Maine landings and value by year
Maine’s annual records show substantial changes in both landed volume and ex-vessel value. The values below are Maine commercial landings, measured in live pounds, and boat prices received at the ex-vessel stage.
| Year | Live pounds landed | Ex-vessel value |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 97,954,590 | $412,629,231 |
| 2021 | 110,704,227 | $742,989,021 |
| 2022 | 98,985,470 | $393,277,334 |
| 2023 | 96,957,725 | $482,022,737 |
| 2024 | 86,125,724 | $528,421,645 |
In 2020, Maine landed 97,954,590 live pounds with an ex-vessel value of $412,629,231. The 2021 total rose to 110,704,227 live pounds and $742,989,021. The 2022 record was 98,985,470 live pounds valued at $393,277,334. In 2023, landings totaled 96,957,725 live pounds and value reached $482,022,737. The 2024 total was 86,125,724 live pounds valued at $528,421,645. 2020–2024 Commercial Maine Landings Species
The annual series shows why pounds and value need to be read together. The 2024 landing total was lower than the totals recorded in 2020 through 2023, but its reported value was higher than in 2020, 2022, and 2023. The source reports ex-vessel boat prices, so these figures do not represent wholesale, menu, or retail prices.
Maine lobster landings in 2023
The monthly 2023 record shows the strongest landings in the middle and later parts of the year. January landings were 2,141,724 pounds, valued at $10,016,235. February recorded 1,095,759 pounds and $8,332,196, followed by 856,507 pounds and $7,327,206 in March. April reached 1,397,257 pounds and $12,811,400, while May reached 2,497,655 pounds and $14,491,063. Maine Commercial Lobster Landings
June landings were 5,374,444 pounds with a value of $26,180,907. July rose to 18,488,931 pounds and $81,552,042, and August was the highest monthly volume in the 2023 series at 19,085,910 pounds. August value was $87,525,932. September recorded 15,233,406 pounds and $76,029,650, while October recorded 15,258,386 pounds and $73,773,296.
The final two months remained substantial. November landings were 9,709,416 pounds, valued at $47,678,379, and December landings were 5,826,148 pounds, valued at $36,343,578. The monthly pattern therefore includes comparatively low winter and spring volumes, a sharp summer rise, and a still-meaningful autumn and December contribution. The 2023 monthly figures are reported by the Maine Department of Marine Resources in its landings table. Maine Department of Marine Resources
Maine lobster landings in 2024
Maine’s 2024 monthly record began with 2,469,897 pounds in January, valued at $17,818,981. February landings were 1,221,929 pounds and $11,681,870; March landings were 1,091,192 pounds and $13,538,490. April recorded 1,183,517 pounds and $10,846,700, and May recorded 2,522,404 pounds and $14,966,932. Maine Commercial Lobster Landings
June landings were 3,594,707 pounds, valued at $17,525,034. July reached 12,766,982 pounds and $62,037,406. August increased to 17,915,127 pounds and $93,598,953. September recorded 14,138,551 pounds and $88,811,457, while October recorded 15,054,693 pounds and $100,236,630. October was the highest monthly value listed for 2024.
November landings were 9,294,324 pounds and $63,361,765. December landings were 6,026,200 pounds and $42,042,484. Compared with the 2023 monthly pattern, the 2024 record still centers on July through October, while the reported monthly values vary independently from volume. These are Maine commercial landings and ex-vessel values, not direct measures of restaurant availability or menu pricing. Maine Department of Marine Resources
Preliminary Maine landings in 2025
The Maine Department of Marine Resources labels the 2025 monthly series preliminary. January landings were 2,076,275 pounds, valued at $15,959,056. February recorded 1,067,968 pounds and $9,201,592; March recorded 890,160 pounds and $9,454,793. April recorded 1,112,628 pounds and $9,791,842, and May recorded 2,275,718 pounds and $12,142,512. Maine Commercial Lobster Landings
June preliminary landings were 3,134,392 pounds, valued at $18,089,000. July recorded 8,781,526 pounds and $51,513,063, followed by 15,276,689 pounds and $84,291,327 in August. September recorded 14,063,429 pounds and $86,500,254. October recorded 14,861,916 pounds and $85,930,219.
The preliminary November record was 10,468,423 pounds and $54,308,315. December was 4,817,559 pounds and $24,202,432. Because every 2025 monthly figure is labeled preliminary in the source, these numbers should be treated as provisional records rather than final historical totals. Maine Department of Marine Resources
Stock abundance and exploitation indicators
The 2025 benchmark assessment reported that Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank stock abundance had declined 34% from its 2018 peak by the 2025 assessment. Average abundance for that stock grouping was 202 million lobsters in 2021–2023. The assessment also reported that the Gulf of Maine fishery represented an average 82% of annual landings since 1982, while the Georges Bank fishery represented an average 5% over the same period. ASMFC benchmark stock assessment
For the 2021–2023 period, average exploitation in Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank was 0.465, just above the stated threshold of 0.464. The assessment characterized this stock grouping as not depleted but experiencing overfishing. These indicators describe the assessed stock and fishery conditions; they are not direct measures of how much lobster a restaurant can purchase in a particular week.
Southern New England had average abundance of 6 million lobsters in 2021–2023. Its abundance threshold was 18 million lobsters, three times the 2021–2023 average. The assessment characterized Southern New England as significantly depleted but not experiencing overfishing. These stock indicators use the assessment’s stated periods and definitions, and should not be combined with Maine landing totals as if they measured the same geographic unit. ASMFC benchmark stock assessment
For coastal cooking, the most useful distinction is between supply records and stock indicators. NOAA’s 2024 figures describe U.S. commercial American lobster; Maine’s annual and monthly tables describe Maine commercial landings; and the ASMFC figures describe assessed U.S. stocks over specific historical periods. Keeping those scopes and measurement dates separate makes the statistics more useful for understanding the fishery behind the ingredient.